Use of certificate authority to control a device&#39;s access to services

ABSTRACT

A mobile communications device having a digital certificate authenticating the device itself is proposed. A server for authenticating the device and a method of authenticating the device are also disclosed. The device comprises a transmitter, a processor, a memory and a computer readable medium. The memory includes a certificate certifying the authenticity of the mobile communications device, the certificate comprising device-specific data and a digital signature signed by an authority having control of the authenticity of the mobile communications device. The computer readable medium has computer readable instructions stored thereon that when executed configure the processor to instruct the transmitter to transmit a copy of the certificate to a service provider in response to a request to authenticate the mobile communications device with the service provider.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/723,926, filed Mar. 15, 2010, the contents ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to control of a mobilecommunication device's access to services.

BACKGROUND

Service providers of mobile communication services and 3rd party vendorsof mobile communication devices currently do not have a means toidentify if mobile communication devices accessing their networks andapplications have legitimate access rights. For example, a serviceprovider operator, such as a provider of email or messaging services ora wireless carrier, may decide that they only want devices manufacturedin certain geographies to be allowed to connect to their system.

This desire to authenticate mobile communications devices is partlydriven by the fact that providers of mobile communication devices oftenoutsource the manufacturing of the devices to outside agencies, thuslosing some control over the integrity and security of the devices. Forexample, there have been cases where a third party manufacturer hadinstalled wireless modems in credit card readers without the knowledgeof the provider of the readers or the end user being aware. Similarinfractions can occur in the manufacturing of any type of device,including mobile communications devices. Not only does this type ofbreach of trust affect the security of the information processed by thedevices and networks processing the information provided by the devices,it affects the trust that customers and service providers have in thedevices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a communication system includinga mobile communication device in which example embodiments of thepresent disclosure can be applied;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a mobile communication device inaccordance with one example embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a mobile communication device inaccordance with one example embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a mobile communication device inaccordance with one example embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a method in accordance with one exampleembodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a server in accordance with oneexample embodiment of the present disclosure.

Like reference numerals are used in the drawings to denote like elementsand features.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

To provide a mechanism for service providers to authenticate mobilecommunications devices, the present application proposes to install adigital certificate on each mobile communication device at themanufacturing stage. The digital certificate comprises a digitalsignature of an authority. In existing authentication methods used forwireless services, it is typically the user that is authenticated. Forexample by providing a user defined password. Some wireless carriersauthenticate removable SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) cards that areinstalled on mobile communication devices. As described herein, theinstallation of the digital certificate on the mobile communicationdevice enables the authenticity of the device itself to be verified,rather than the user or an exchangeable component.

In an embodiment, the digital signature is applied to device-specificdata using a private encryption key maintained by the authority and canbe authenticated using a corresponding public encryption key. Examplesof device-specific data include, but are not limited to, device identityand device manufacturing heritage. The device-specific data togetherwith the digital signature make up the digital certificate. Thecertificate with the digital signature can be installed, in someembodiments, by the manufacturer. In these embodiments, the manufactureris trusted by the authority to maintain control of the private key. Inother embodiments, the certificate is installed at a testing facilityafter the mobile communications device is manufactured. In still otherembodiments, the certificate is installed by a producer of the mobilecommunications device before shipping the device to a customer, such asa user or a service provider. These and other embodiments will bediscussed in detail below.

Thus, in first aspect, there is provided a mobile communications devicecomprising: a transmitter; a processor; a memory including a certificatecertifying the authenticity of the mobile communications device, thecertificate including device-specific data and a digital signaturesigned by an authority having control of the authenticity of the mobilecommunications device; and a computer readable medium having computerreadable instructions stored thereon that when executed configure theprocessor to instruct the transmitter to transmit a copy of thecertificate to a service provider in response to a request toauthenticate the mobile communications device with the service provider.

In a second aspect, there is provided a method authenticating a mobilecommunications device with a service provider, the method comprising:the mobile communications device receiving a request to authenticate themobile communications device with the service provider; and the mobilecommunications device transmitting a copy of a certificate certifyingthe authenticity of the mobile communications device to the serviceprovider in response to the request, the certificate being stored inmemory on the mobile communications device and including device-specificdata and a digital signature of an authority having control of theauthenticity of the mobile communications device.

In a third aspect, there is provided a server configured to authenticatemobile communication devices attempting to access services of a serviceprovider, the server comprising: a receiver for receiving a copy of acertificate stored on a mobile communications device attempting toaccess a service of the service provider, the certificate certifying theauthenticity of the mobile communications device and includingdevice-specific data and a digital signature of an authority havingcontrol of the authenticity of the mobile communications device; atransmitter; a processor; and a memory storing computer readableinstructions that when executed configure the processor to make adetermination of whether or not the digital signature on the certificateis authentic in response to receiving the certificate and if the digitalsignature is determined to be authentic, causing the transmitter totransmit an indication that the mobile communications device isauthentic to a sender of the copy.

In a further aspect, there is provided a mobile communications devicecomprising: a transmitter; a processor; a receiver; a memory including acertificate certifying the authenticity of the mobile communicationsdevice, the certificate including device-specific data, a uniqueidentifier for the mobile communications device, information of acarrier on which the mobile communications device is authorized tooperate and a digital signature signed by an authority having control ofthe authenticity of the mobile communications device; and a computerreadable medium having computer readable instructions stored thereonthat when executed configure the processor to instruct the transmitterto transmit a copy of the certificate to a service provider in responseto a request to authenticate the mobile communications device with theservice provider.

In a further aspect there is provided a method of authenticating amobile communications device with a service provider. The methodcomprises the mobile communications device receiving a request toauthenticate the mobile communications device with the service provider;and the mobile communications device transmitting a copy of acertificate certifying the authenticity of the mobile communicationsdevice to the service provider in response to the request, thecertificate being stored in memory on the mobile communications deviceand including device-specific data, a unique identifier for the mobilecommunications device, information of a carrier on which the mobilecommunications device is authorized to operate and a digital signatureof an authority having control of the authenticity of the mobilecommunications device.

In a further aspect there is provided a server configured toauthenticate mobile communication devices attempting to access servicesof a service provider. The server comprises a receiver for receiving acopy of a certificate stored on a mobile communications deviceattempting to access a service of the service provider, the certificatecertifying the authenticity of the mobile communications device andincluding device-specific data, a unique identifier for the mobilecommunications device, information of a carrier on which the mobilecommunications device is authorized to operate and a digital signatureof an authority having control of the authenticity of the mobilecommunications device; a transmitter; a processor; and a memory storingcomputer readable instructions that when executed configure theprocessor to make a determination of whether or not the digitalsignature on the certificate is authentic in response to receiving thecertificate and if the digital signature is determined to be authenticand the carrier is determined to be valid, causing the transmitter totransmit an indication that the mobile communications device isauthentic and valid to a sender of the copy.

In a further aspect there is provided a non-transitory computer readablemedium containing computer-executable instructions that, when executedby a processor in a mobile communications device, cause the processorto: receive a request to authenticate the mobile communications devicewith a service provider; and transmit a copy of a certificate certifyingthe authenticity of the mobile communications device to the serviceprovider in response to the request, the certificate being stored inmemory on the mobile communications device and including device-specificdata, a unique identifier for the mobile communications device,information of a location where the mobile communications device wasbuilt and a digital signature of an authority having control of theauthenticity of the mobile communications device.

In a further aspect there is provided a non-transitory computer readablemedium containing computer-executable instructions that, when executedby a processor in a mobile communications device, cause the processorto: receive a request to authenticate the mobile communications devicewith a service provider; and transmit a copy of a certificate certifyingthe authenticity of the mobile communications device to the serviceprovider in response to the request, the certificate being stored inmemory on the mobile communications device and including device-specificdata, a unique identifier for the mobile communications device,information of a carrier on which the mobile communications device isauthorized to operate and a digital signature of an authority havingcontrol of the authenticity of the mobile communications device.

Embodiments of the present application are not limited to any particularoperating system, mobile device architecture, server architecture, orcomputer programming language.

Reference is first made to FIG. 1 which shows in block diagram form acommunication system 100 in which example embodiments of the presentdisclosure can be applied. The communication system 100 comprises anumber of mobile communication devices (mobile devices) 201 which may beconnected to the remainder of system 100 in any of several differentways. Accordingly, several instances of mobile communication devices 201are depicted in FIG. 1 employing different example ways of connecting tosystem 100. Mobile communication devices 201 are connected to a wirelesscommunication network 101 which may comprise one or more of a WirelessWide Area Network (WWAN) 102 and a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN)104 or other suitable network arrangements. In some embodiments, themobile communication devices 201 are configured to communicate over boththe WWAN 102 and WLAN 104, and to roam between these networks. In someembodiments, the wireless network 101 may comprise multiple WWANs 102and WLANs 104.

The WWAN 102 may be implemented as any suitable wireless access networktechnology. By way of example, but not limitation, the WWAN 102 may beimplemented as a wireless network that includes a number of transceiverbase stations 108 (one of which is shown in FIG. 1) where each of thebase stations 108 provides wireless Radio Frequency (RF) coverage to acorresponding area or cell. The WWAN 102 is typically operated by amobile network service provider that provides subscription packages tousers of the mobile communication devices 201. In some embodiments, theWWAN 102 conforms to one or more of the following wireless networktypes: Mobitex Radio Network, DataTAC, GSM (Global System for MobileCommunication), GPRS (General Packet Radio System), TDMA (Time DivisionMultiple Access), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), CDPD (CellularDigital Packet Data), iDEN (integrated Digital Enhanced Network), EvDO(Evolution-Data Optimized) CDMA2000, EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSMEvolution), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication Systems), HSDPA(High-Speed Downlink Packet Access), IEEE 802.16e (also referred to asWorldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access or WiMAX), or variousother networks. Although WWAN 102 is described as a “Wide-Area” network,that term is intended herein also to incorporate wireless MetropolitanArea Networks (WMAN) and other similar technologies for providingcoordinated service wirelessly over an area larger than that covered bytypical WLANs.

The WWAN 102 may further comprise a wireless network gateway 110 whichconnects the mobile communication devices 201 to transport facilities112, and through the transport facilities 112 to a wireless connectorsystem 120. Transport facilities may include one or more privatenetworks or lines, the public internet, a virtual private network, orany other suitable network. The wireless connector system 120 may beoperated, for example, by an organization or enterprise such as acorporation, university, or governmental department, which allows accessto a network 124 such as an internal or enterprise network and itsresources, or the wireless connector system 120, may be operated by amobile network provider. In some embodiments, the network 124 may berealised using the internet rather than an internal or enterprisenetwork.

The wireless network gateway 110 provides an interface between thewireless connector system 120 and the WWAN 102, which facilitatescommunication between the mobile communication devices 201 and otherdevices (not shown) connected, directly or indirectly, to the WWAN 102.Accordingly, communications sent via the mobile communication devices201 are transported via the WWAN 102 and the wireless network gateway110 through transport facilities 112 to the wireless connector system120. Communications sent from the wireless connector system 120 arereceived by the wireless network gateway 110 and transported via theWWAN 102 to the mobile communication devices 201.

The WLAN 104 comprises a wireless network which, in some embodiments,conforms to IEEE 802.11x standards (sometimes referred to as Wi-Fi) suchas, for example, the IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b and/or 802.11g standard.Other communication protocols may be used for the WLAN 104 in otherembodiments such as, for example, IEEE 802.11n, IEEE 802.16e (alsoreferred to as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access or“WiMAX”), or IEEE 802.20 (also referred to as Mobile Wireless BroadbandAccess). The WLAN 104 includes one or more wireless RF Access Points(AP) 114 (one of which is shown in FIG. 1) that collectively provide aWLAN coverage area.

The WLAN 104 may be a personal network of the user, an enterprisenetwork, or a hotspot offered by an internet service provider (ISP), amobile network provider, or a property owner in a public or semi-publicarea, for example. The access points 114 are connected to an accesspoint (AP) interface 116 which may connect to the wireless connectorsystem 120 directly (for example, if the access point 114 is part of anenterprise WLAN 104 in which the wireless connector system 120 resides),or indirectly via the transport facilities 112 if the access point 114is a personal Wi-Fi network or Wi-Fi hotspot (in which case a mechanismfor securely connecting to the wireless connector system 120, such as avirtual private network (VPN), may be appropriate). The AP interface 116provides translation and routing services between the access points 114and the wireless connector system 120 to facilitate communication,directly or indirectly, with the wireless connector system 120.

The wireless connector system 120 may be implemented as one or moreservers, and is typically located behind a firewall 113. The wirelessconnector system 120 manages communications, including email messages,to and from a set of managed mobile communication devices 201. Thewireless connector system 120 also provides administrative control andmanagement capabilities over users and mobile communication devices 201which may connect to the wireless connector system 120.

The wireless connector system 120 allows the mobile communicationdevices 201 to access the network 124 and connected resources andservices such as a messaging server 132 (for example, a MicrosoftExchange™, IBM Lotus Domino™, or Novell GroupWise™ email messagingserver) having a global address book 134, an administration server 327,and optionally other servers 142. The other servers 142 may comprise acontent server for providing content such as internet content or contentfrom an organization's internal servers to the mobile communicationdevices 201 in the wireless network 101, and an application server forimplementing server-based applications.

The global address book 134 comprises electronic contact records createdand maintained by an IT (information technology) administrator of thenetwork 124. Typically, the global address book is maintainedexclusively by the messaging server 132 and there is no local copy onthe mobile device 201. In addition, the global address book typicallycomprises contact records for all users of the respective network 124(e.g., enterprise). The contact records in the global address book 134may be one or more of individual contact records (or user records) or agroup address or distribution list which lists multiple individual(users).

The wireless connector system 120 typically provides a secure exchangeof data (e.g., email messages, personal information manager (PIM) data,and IM data) with the mobile communication devices 201. In someembodiments, communications between the wireless connector system 120and the mobile communication devices 201 are encrypted. In someembodiments, communications are encrypted using a symmetric encryptionkey implemented using Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) or Triple DataEncryption Standard (Triple DES) encryption. Private encryption keys aregenerated in a secure, two-way authenticated environment and are usedfor both encryption and decryption of data.

The wireless network gateway 110 is adapted to send data packetsreceived from the mobile device 201 over the WWAN 102 to the wirelessconnector system 120. The wireless connector system 120 then sends thedata packets to the appropriate connection point such as the messagingserver 132, content server 132 or application servers 136. Conversely,the wireless connector system 120 sends data packets received, forexample, from the messaging server 132 or other server 142 to thewireless network gateway 110 which then transmit the data packets to thedestination mobile device 201. The AP interfaces 116 of the WLAN 104provide similar sending functions between the mobile device 201, thewireless connector system 120 and network connection point such as themessaging server 132, content server 132 and application server 136.

The network 124 may comprise a private local area network, metropolitanarea network, wide area network, the public internet or combinationsthereof and may include virtual networks constructed using any of these,alone, or in combination. Computers 117 may be connected to the network124 directly or indirectly via an intermediate communication networksuch as the Internet. When computers 117 connect to the networkindirectly, e.g. via the Internet, a VPN or other mechanism for securelyconnecting to the network 124 may be appropriate. Computers 117 may beof any suitable construction and include at least a processor, and adisplay screen, one or more user input devices, and a memory eachconnected to the processor as is known in the art. The computers 117could be desktop computers, laptop/notebook/netbook computers, orcombinations thereof, and may have wired or wireless communicationsubsystems for connecting to the network 124.

A mobile device 201 may alternatively connect to the wireless connectorsystem 120 using a computer 117 via the network 124. In at least someembodiments, for security purposes the computers 117 with which themobile devices 201 can connect to the wireless connector system 120 arelimited to computers 117 which are directly connected to the network124. A link 106 may be provided for exchanging information between themobile device 201 and computer 117 connected to the wireless connectorsystem 120. The link 106 may comprise one or both of a physicalinterface and short-range wireless communication interface. The physicalinterface may comprise one or combinations of an Ethernet connection,Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection, Firewire™ (also known as an IEEE1394 interface) connection, or other serial data connection, viarespective ports or interfaces of the mobile device 201 and computer117. The short-range wireless communication interface may be a personalarea network (PAN) interface. A personal area network is a wirelesspoint-to-point connection meaning no physical cables are required toconnect the two end points.

It will be appreciated that the above-described communication system isprovided for the purpose of illustration only, and that theabove-described communication system comprises one possiblecommunication network configuration of a multitude of possibleconfigurations for use with the mobile communication devices 201. Theteachings of the present disclosure may be employed in connection withany other type of network and associated devices that are effective inimplementing or facilitating wireless communication. Suitable variationsof the communication system will be understood to a person of skill inthe art and are intended to fall within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

Reference is now made to FIG. 2 which illustrates an exemplaryembodiment of the mobile device 201 in which example embodimentsdescribed in the present disclosure can be applied. The mobile device201 is a two-way communication device having data and voicecommunication capabilities, and the capability to communicate with othercomputer systems, for example, via the Internet. Depending on thefunctionality provided by the mobile device 201, in various embodimentsthe device 201 may be a multiple-mode communication device configuredfor both data and voice communication, a smartphone, a mobile telephoneor a PDA (personal digital assistant) enabled for wirelesscommunication, or a computer system with a wireless modem.

The mobile device 201 includes a rigid case (not shown) housing thecomponents of the device 201. The internal components of the device 201are constructed on a printed circuit board (PCB). The mobile device 201includes a controller comprising at least one processor 240 (such as amicroprocessor) which controls the overall operation of the device 201.The processor 240 interacts with device subsystems such as a wirelesscommunication subsystem 211 (sometimes referred to as a radio layer) forexchanging radio frequency signals with the wireless network 101 toperform communication functions. The processor 240 interacts withadditional device subsystems including a display screen 204 such as aliquid crystal display (LCD) screen, input devices 206 such as akeyboard and control buttons, flash memory 244, random access memory(RAM) 246, read only memory (ROM) 248, auxiliary input/output (I/O)subsystems 250, data port 252 such as serial data port, such as aUniversal Serial Bus (USB) data port, speaker 256, microphone 258,short-range communication subsystem 262, and other device subsystemsgenerally designated as 264. Some of the subsystems shown in FIG. 2perform communication-related functions, whereas other subsystems mayprovide “resident” or on-device functions.

The device 201 may comprise a touchscreen display in some embodiments.The touchscreen display may be constructed using a touch-sensitive inputsurface connected to an electronic controller and which overlays thedisplay screen 204. The touch-sensitive overlay and the electroniccontroller provide a touch-sensitive input device and the processor 240interacts with the touch-sensitive overlay via the electroniccontroller.

The communication subsystem 211 includes a receiver 214, a transmitter216, and associated components, such as one or more antenna elements 218and 220, local oscillators (LOs) 222, and a processing module such as adigital signal processor (DSP) 224. The antenna elements 218 and 220 maybe embedded or internal to the mobile device 201 and a single antennamay be shared by both receiver and transmitter, as is known in the art.As will be apparent to those skilled in the field of communication, theparticular design of the wireless communication subsystem 211 depends onthe wireless network 101 in which mobile device 201 is intended tooperate.

The mobile device 201 may communicate with any one of a plurality offixed transceiver base stations 108 of the wireless network 101 withinits geographic coverage area. The mobile device 201 may send and receivecommunication signals over the wireless network 101 after the requirednetwork registration or activation procedures have been completed.Signals received by the antenna 218 through the wireless network 101 areinput to the receiver 214, which may perform such common receiverfunctions as signal amplification, frequency down conversion, filtering,channel selection, etc., as well as analog-to-digital (A/D) conversion.A/D conversion of a received signal allows more complex communicationfunctions such as demodulation and decoding to be performed in the DSP224. In a similar manner, signals to be transmitted are processed,including modulation and encoding, for example, by the DSP 224. TheseDSP-processed signals are output to the transmitter 216 fordigital-to-analog (D/A) conversion, frequency up conversion, filtering,amplification, and transmission to the wireless network 101 via theantenna 220. The DSP 224 not only processes communication signals, butmay also provide for receiver and transmitter control. For example, thegains applied to communication signals in the receiver 214 and thetransmitter 216 may be adaptively controlled through automatic gaincontrol algorithms implemented in the DSP 224.

The processor 240 operates under stored program control and executessoftware modules 221 stored in memory such as persistent memory, forexample, in the flash memory 244. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the softwaremodules 221 comprise operating system software 223, softwareapplications 225 comprising an email messaging application 272 (alsoreferred to as an email client 272), a personal address book 274, acalendar application 276, a phone application 278, and an authenticationmodule 280. Example embodiments of the authentication module 280 will bediscussed in detail later herein. It is recognized that theauthentication module 280 and its various components as described hereincan form a discrete module running on the device 201, or the functionsof the authentication module 280 can be distributed on the device 201 asseparate modules or integrated within other existing modules as desired.Such discrete or distributed implementations all fall within theembodiments of the authentication module 280 as described herein.

The software applications 225 also may include a range of applications,including, for example, a notepad application, Internet browserapplication, voice communication (i.e. telephony) application, mappingapplication, or a media player application, or any combination thereof.Each of the software applications 225 may include layout informationdefining the placement of particular fields and graphic elements (e.g.text fields, input fields, icons, etc.) in the user interface (i.e. thedisplay screen 204) according to the application.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the software modules 221or parts thereof may be temporarily loaded into volatile memory such asthe RAM 246. The RAM 246 is used for storing runtime data variables andother types of data or information, as will be apparent to those skilledin the art. Although specific functions are described for various typesof memory, this is merely one example, and those skilled in the art willappreciate that a different assignment of functions to types of memorycould also be used.

In some embodiments, the auxiliary I/O subsystems 250 may comprise anexternal communication link or interface, for example, an Ethernetconnection. The mobile device 201 may comprise other wirelesscommunication interfaces for communicating with other types of wirelessnetworks, for example, a wireless network such as an orthogonalfrequency division multiplexed (OFDM) network or a GPS (GlobalPositioning System) subsystem comprising a GPS receiver or transceiverfor communicating with a GPS satellite network (not shown). Theauxiliary I/O subsystems 250 may comprise a pointing or navigationalinput device such as a clickable trackball or scroll wheel orthumbwheel, or a vibrator for providing vibratory notifications inresponse to various events on the device 201 such as receipt of anelectronic message or incoming phone call, or for other purposes such ashaptic feedback (touch feedback).

In some embodiments, the mobile device 201 also includes a removablememory card or module 230 (typically comprising flash memory) and amemory card interface 232. Network access is typically associated with asubscriber or user of the mobile device 201 via the memory card 230,which may be a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card for use in a GSMnetwork or other type of memory card for use in the relevant wirelessnetwork type. The memory card 230 is inserted in or connected to thememory card interface 232 of the mobile device 201 in order to operatein conjunction with the wireless network 101.

The mobile device 201 also stores other data 227 in an erasablepersistent memory, which in one example embodiment is the flash memory244. In various embodiments, the data 227 includes service datacomprising information required by the mobile device 201 to establishand maintain communication with the wireless network 101. The data 227may also include user application data such as email messages, addressbook and contact information, calendar and schedule information, notepaddocuments, image files, and other commonly stored user informationstored on the mobile device 201 by its user, and other data. The data227 stored in the persistent memory (e.g. flash memory 244) of themobile device 201 may be organized, at least partially, into a number ofdatabases each containing data items of the same data type or associatedwith the same application. For example, email messages, contact records,and task items may be stored in individual databases within the devicememory.

The mobile device 201 also includes a battery 238 as a power source,which is typically one or more rechargeable batteries that may becharged, for example, through charging circuitry coupled to a batteryinterface such as the serial data port 252. The battery 238 provideselectrical power to at least some of the electrical circuitry in themobile device 201, and the battery interface 236 provides a mechanicaland electrical connection for the battery 238. The battery interface 236is coupled to a regulator (not shown) which provides power V+ to thecircuitry of the mobile device 201.

The short-range communication subsystem 262 is an additional optionalcomponent which provides for communication between the mobile device 201and different systems or devices, which need not necessarily be similardevices. For example, the subsystem 262 may include an infrared deviceand associated circuits and components, or a wireless bus protocolcompliant communication mechanism such as a Bluetooth® communicationmodule to provide for communication with similarly-enabled systems anddevices.

A predetermined set of applications that control basic deviceoperations, including data and voice communication applications willnormally be installed on the mobile device 201 during or aftermanufacture. Additional applications and/or upgrades to the operatingsystem 221 or software applications 225 may also be loaded onto themobile device 201 through the wireless network 101, the auxiliary I/Osubsystem 250, the serial port 252, the short-range communicationsubsystem 262, or other suitable subsystem 264. The downloaded programsor code modules may be permanently installed, for example, written intothe program memory (i.e. the flash memory 244), or written into andexecuted from the RAM 246 for execution by the processor 240 at runtime.Such flexibility in application installation increases the functionalityof the mobile device 201 and may provide enhanced on-device functions,communication-related functions, or both. For example, securecommunication applications may enable electronic commerce functions andother such financial transactions to be performed using the mobiledevice 201.

The mobile device 201 may provide two principal modes of communication:a data communication mode and a voice communication mode. In the datacommunication mode, a received data signal such as a text message, anemail message, or Web page download will be processed by thecommunication subsystem 211 and input to the processor 240 for furtherprocessing. For example, a downloaded Web page may be further processedby a browser application or an email message may be processed by theemail messaging application and output to the display 204. A user of themobile device 201 may also compose data items, such as email messages,for example, using the input devices in conjunction with the displayscreen 204. These composed items may be transmitted through thecommunication subsystem 211 over the wireless network 101.

In the voice communication mode, the mobile device 201 providestelephony functions and operates as a typical cellular phone. Theoverall operation is similar, except that the received signals areoutput to the speaker 256 and signals for transmission are generated bya transducer such as the microphone 258. The telephony functions areprovided by a combination of software/firmware (i.e., the phoneapplication 278) and hardware (i.e., the microphone 258, the speaker 256and input devices). Alternative voice or audio I/O subsystems, such as avoice message recording subsystem, may also be implemented on the mobiledevice 201. Although voice or audio signal output is typicallyaccomplished primarily through the speaker 256, the display screen 204may also be used to provide an indication of the identity of a callingparty, duration of a voice call, or other voice call relatedinformation.

The phone application 278 can be split into multiple applications orsub-modules, for example one or more user phone modules and a callcontrol module. The user phone modules provide a variety of telephonyfeatures through a user interface, while the call control moduleprovides access to common telephony functions desired by the user phonemodules, such that telephony requests from phone modules can becoordinated and so that the user phone modules do not need to eachprovide instructions understood by the wireless communications subsystem211. The call control function typically makes telephony featuresavailable to user phone modules through an application programminginterface (API). It is to be recognized that all or part of the phoneapplication 278 features or functions could be provided through theoperating system or otherwise distributed in the device 201, whilecontinuing to fall within the term phone application 278.

Public and private encryption keys are used in secure messagingprotocols such as S/MIME and PGP-based protocols to provideconfidentiality and integrity. Data encoded using a private key of aprivate key/public key pair can only be decoded using the correspondingpublic key of the pair, and data encoded using a public key of a privatekey/public key pair can only be decoded using the corresponding privatekey of the pair. It is intended that private key information never bemade public, whereas public key information is shared.

Public and private encryption keys are also used to sign a message usinga digital signature. A digital signature generally comprises a digest ofthe message (e.g. a hash of the message) encoded using the sender'sprivate key, which can then be appended to the outgoing message. Toverify the digital signature of the message when received, the recipientuses the same technique as the sender (e.g. using the same standard hashalgorithm) to obtain a digest of the received message. The recipientalso uses the sender's public key to decode the digital signature, inorder to obtain what should be a matching digest for the receivedmessage. If the digests of the received message do not match, thissuggests that either the message content was changed during transportand/or the message did not originate from the sender whose public keywas used for verification. Digital signature algorithms are designed insuch a way that only someone with knowledge of the signer's private keyshould be able to encode a signature that the recipient will decodecorrectly using the signer's public key. Therefore, by verifying adigital signature in this way, authentication of the signer and messageintegrity can be maintained.

An encoded message may be encrypted, signed, or both encrypted andsigned. “Signed and/or encrypted” means signed or encrypted or both. InS/MIME, the authenticity of public keys used in these operations isvalidated using certificates. A certificate is a digital document issuedby a certificate authority (CA). Certificates may be used toauthenticate the association between users and their public keys, andessentially, provides a level of trust in the authenticity of the users'public keys. Certificates contain information about the certificateholder, with certificate contents typically formatted in accordance withan accepted standard (e.g. X.509). The certificates are typicallydigitally signed by the certificate authority.

Some wireless carriers use IMEI (International Mobile EquipmentIdentity) numbers to block stolen mobile communication devices fromaccessing their respective network. The reporting system for thisservice is optional and the database is typically only accessible bywireless carriers and not accessible by other service providers. IMEIhas, as a result, not been an effective means for ensuring theauthenticity of the mobile communications devices accessing servicesprovided by various service providers.

In the present application, certificates are used to verify theauthenticity of a mobile communication device. A certificate with adigital signature of an authority, such as the manufacturer or theservice provider, is installed in the device before providing the deviceto an end user. The certificate can be installed in a memory or can besecurely bound to the device by storing a hash code of the certificatein an OTP (One Time Programmable) memory within one or more componentsof the device. Using the OTP memory within hardware of the device makesthe certificate more secure by making it more expensive to change sinceit would require replacing at least one hardware component. The digitalsignature of the authority on the certificate can be verified, thusvouching for the authenticity of the mobile communication device.

In some embodiments, the certificate is a data packet that containsinformation related to the mobile communications device and a digitalsignature of the authority. Non-limiting examples of the informationthat can be in the data packet are a serial number, IMEI, PIN (PersonalIdentification Number), MAC (Media Access Control) address, CPU ID(Central Processing Unit Identifier), the location where the device wasbuilt, when the device was built, the manufacturer of the device and thecarrier on which the device is authorized for use. Alternatively, thecertificate comprises an identifier for the mobile communications deviceand the digital signature and any other related information ismaintained in a database accessible by a server responsible forverifying the authenticity of the device.

In an exemplary implementation, a mobile communication device designedand sold by a producer is manufactured by a third party. The producer inthis embodiment is the authority. In some embodiments, the producercontrols a private encryption key used for applying the digitalsignature the certificates.

Referring now to FIG. 3, an exemplary embodiment of a mobilecommunication device 300 will now be discussed. The mobilecommunications device 300 comprises: a transmitter 301; a processor 302;a memory 303 and an authentication module 310. The memory 303 comprisesa certificate 305 certifying the authenticity of the mobilecommunications device 300. The certificate 305 has a digital signature307 signed by an authority having control of the authenticity of themobile communications device and device-specific data 308. Non-limitingexamples of device-specific data 308 include a serial number, IMEI, PIN,MAC address, CPU ID, the location where the device was built, when thedevice was built, the manufacturer of the device and the carrier onwhich the device is authorized for use. The computer readable medium 310has computer readable instructions 312 stored thereon that when executedconfigure the processor 302 to instruct the transmitter 301 to transmita copy of the certificate 305 to the service provider in response to arequest to authenticate the mobile communications device 300 with theservice provider. Mobile device 201 described with reference to FIGS. 1and 2 is a non-limiting example of mobile communications device 300.

The authority that signs the certificate 305 in some cases is themanufacturer of the mobile communications device 300. In otherimplementations, the authority is a testing organisation that tested themobile device after it was manufactured. In other implementations theauthority is the producer of the mobile device. In the case wheremanufacturing is outsourced, the producer is different from themanufacturer. In still other embodiments, the authority is acertification authority given responsibility for installing thecertificates by the producer.

The digital signature 307 is any verifiable secure digital mark that isidentifiable with the authority. In some embodiments, the digitalsignature 307 is applied to the certificate using a private encryptionkey. In some such cases, the validity of the certificate is verifiedusing a corresponding public encryption key. The corresponding publicencryption key can be distributed to services providers by theauthority. It is to be understood that any encryption method or otherverifiable secure signing means may be used to apply the digitalsignature to the certificate.

The certificate 305, in some embodiments, is installed in the memory 303while the mobile device 300 is being manufactured. In other embodiments,the certificate 305 is installed during testing of the mobile device300. In still other embodiments, the certificate 305 is installed beforedelivery of the mobile communications device 300 to a customer. In someembodiments, the certificate is installed in one of the hardwarecomponents of the device, such as the CPU, before the component isdelivered to the manufacturer of the device. Non-limiting examples of acustomer are a distributor, a service provider, and an end user. Aservice provider can include but is not limited to a wireless carrier, amessaging service provider, an enterprise service provider, an internetservice provider, a website, and an online financial institution (suchas a bank or credit card company) or combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the processor 302 is configured to cause the copyto be transmitted to a server controlled by the service provider. Insome implementations it is this server that determines the validity ofthe certificate. In other implementations, this server forwards arequest to determine the validity of the certificate to a centralorganization that maintains information related to certificates signedby the authority. In some implementations the central organisation isthe authority. Other examples of a central organisation are the producerof the mobile communication device and a third party organisationentrusted with responsibility for validating certificates of mobilecommunication devices.

In some embodiments, a stronger authentication mechanism is used,whereby the mobile communications device is cryptographically challengedby the service provider using a public key contained in its certificate.A private key within the device (not written plaintext in thecertificate) is used by the device to generate a response to thechallenge. The private key can be protected in some further way, such asbut not limited to locked in hardware or a user supplied password.

In an exemplary embodiment, the certificate 305 comprises at least oneof a unique identifier for the mobile communications device, a locationwhere the mobile communications device 300 was built, and a carrier onwhich the mobile communications device 300 is authorized to operate. Asmentioned above, alternative embodiments employ certificates comprisingan identifier for the respective mobile communications device and thedigital signature, with any other related information being maintainedin a database accessible by a server responsible for verifying theauthenticity of the device.

The computer readable medium 310 can be implemented using software,hardware or combinations thereof. Authentication module 280 shown inFIG. 2 is one example.

In some embodiments, the processor 302 is configured to cause the copyof the certificate 305 to be transmitted in response to a challenge fromthe service provider. In still further embodiments, the processor 302 isfurther configured to encrypt the certificate prior to transmitting thecertificate to the service provider. Any encryption method, includingbut not limited to private/public encryption key pairs may be used toencrypt the copy of the certificate 305.

Exemplary embodiments of the memory 303 include, but are not limited to,a read only memory (ROM), a flash memory, and a random access memory(RAM).

In a further embodiment, the mobile communications device 300 furthercomprises a receiver and the processor 302 is further configured toreceive through the receiver from the service provider at least one ofan indication that the certificate is valid and an indication that thecertificate is not valid. In some embodiments, a server of the serviceprovider sends a message to the mobile device with the indication ofwhether or not the certificate is valid. In some embodiments, theindication that the certificate is valid is the granting of access to aservice provided by the service provider. In some embodiments, theindication that the certificate is invalid is a denial of access to aservice provided by the service provider.

In some embodiments, the mobile communications device 300 furthercomprising a user interface, through which a request to access a serviceoffered by the service provider is received, the service only beingavailable to mobile communications devices that have been authenticated.

The processor 302 may also be configured to disable the mobilecommunications device 300 if an attempt to alter the certificate 305without using the private key of the authority is detected.

FIG. 4 depicts an embodiment of the mobile communications device 300 inwhich a receiver 320 and a user interface 330 are shown. Other thanthese two added features, the components of the mobile communicationsdevice 300 of FIG. 4 are the same as that shown in FIG. 3.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a method authenticating a mobile communicationsdevice with a service provider will now be described. The method is forimplementation on a mobile communications device, such as but notlimited to mobile device 201 or mobile communications device 300described herein.

At step 510, the method starts with the mobile communications devicereceiving a request to authenticate the mobile communications devicewith the service provider. Then at step 520, the mobile communicationsdevice transmits a copy of a certificate certifying the authenticity ofthe mobile communications device to the service provider in response tothe request, the certificate being stored in memory on the mobilecommunications device and comprising a digital signature of an authorityhaving control of the authenticity of the mobile communications device.

In some embodiments, receiving the request comprises receiving achallenge from the service provider. In other embodiments, the requestis received from a user of the mobile communications device through auser interface on the mobile communications device.

In an exemplary implementation, the method further comprises receiving,from the service provider, at least one of an indication that thecertificate is valid and an indication that the certificate is invalid.Various implementations of such indications are described above withreference to FIG. 3.

A server 600 will now be described with reference to FIG. 6. The server600 is configured to authenticate mobile communication devicesattempting to access services of a service provider. The server 600comprises a receiver 601, a memory 603, a processor 605 and atransmitter 607. The receiver 601 is for receiving a copy of acertificate stored on a mobile communications device attempting toaccess a service of the service provider, the certificate certifying theauthenticity of a mobile communications device and comprising a digitalsignature of an authority having control of the authenticity of themobile communications device. The memory 603 stores computer readableinstructions 604 that when executed configure the processor to make adetermination of whether or not the digital signature on the certificateis authentic. The processor 605 implements the instructions in responseto receiving the certificate and if the digital signature is determinedto be authentic, causes the transmitter 607 to transmit an indicationthat the mobile communications device is authentic to a sender of thecopy.

In some embodiments, the sender of the copy to the server is the mobilecommunications device on which the certificate is stored. In otherembodiments, the copy of the certificate is received from a networkelement of the service provider and the processor causes the transmitterto transmit the indication the mobile device is authentic to the networkelement. A non-limiting example of a network element is a server. Forexample, the mobile communications device in some implementations sendsthe copy of the certificate to a server of the service provider which inturn forwards the copy to the server 600, which is responsible forauthenticating the mobile device.

In an exemplary embodiment, the memory 603 comprises a public encryptionkey corresponding to a private encryption key used to generate thedigital signature and the instructions 604 implemented by the processor605 use the public key to determine if the digital signature isauthentic.

In some embodiments, the processor 605 is further configured to causethe transmitter 607 to transmit an indication that the mobilecommunications device is not authentic if the digital signature isdetermined to be invalid.

The server 600 in some implementations comprises a database ofinformation related to a list of mobile communications devices, theinformation comprising an indication of whether or not each mobilecommunications device listed is authorized to access a respectiveservice.

Non-limiting examples of the server 600 include at least one of acontent server, applications server and a messaging server.

While the present disclosure is sometimes described in terms of methods,a person of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the presentdisclosure is also directed to various apparatus including componentsfor performing at least some of the aspects and features of thedescribed methods, be it by way of hardware components, software or anycombination of the two, or in any other manner. Moreover, an article ofmanufacture for use with the apparatus, such as a pre-recorded storagedevice or other similar computer readable medium including programinstructions recorded thereon, or a computer data signal carryingcomputer readable program instructions may direct an apparatus tofacilitate the practice of the described methods. It is understood thatsuch apparatus, articles of manufacture, and computer data signals alsocome within the scope of the present disclosure.

The various embodiments presented above are merely examples and are inno way meant to limit the scope of this disclosure. Variations of theinnovations described herein will be apparent to persons of ordinaryskill in the art, such variations being within the intended scope of thepresent application. In particular, features from one or more of theabove-described embodiments may be selected to create alternativeembodiments comprised of a sub-combination of features which may not beexplicitly described above. In addition, features from one or more ofthe above-described embodiments may be selected and combined to createalternative embodiments comprised of a combination of features which maynot be explicitly described above. Features suitable for suchcombinations and sub-combinations would be readily apparent to personsskilled in the art upon review of the present application as a whole.The subject matter described herein and in the recited claims intends tocover and embrace all suitable changes in technology.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A mobile communications device comprising: a transmitter; a processor; a receiver; a memory including a certificate certifying the authenticity of the mobile communications device, the certificate including device-specific data, a unique identifier for the mobile communications device, information of a carrier on which the mobile communications device is authorized to operate and a digital signature signed by an authority having control of the authenticity of the mobile communications device; and a computer readable medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon that when executed configure the processor to: instruct the transmitter to transmit a copy of the certificate to a service provider in response to a request to authenticate the mobile communications device with the service provider; and receive, through the receiver, a response from the service provider, the response including an indication that the certificate and carrier are valid.
 2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the digital signature is signed by the authority using a private key and is verifiable using a corresponding public key.
 3. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to cause the copy of the certificate to be transmitted in response to a challenge from the service provider.
 4. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to encrypt the certificate prior to transmitting the certificate to the service provider.
 5. The mobile communications device of claim 1, further comprising a user interface, through which a request to access a service offered by the service provider is received, the service only being available to mobile communications devices that have been authenticated.
 6. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the copy to be transmitted to a server controlled by the service provider.
 7. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein the certificate comprises information of a location where the mobile communications device was built.
 8. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to disable the mobile communications device if an attempt to alter the certificate without using the private key of the authority is detected.
 9. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein the memory is at least one of a read only memory (ROM), a flash memory, or a random access memory (RAM).
 10. A method of authenticating a mobile communications device with a service provider, the method comprising: the mobile communications device receiving a request to authenticate the mobile communications device with the service provider; the mobile communications device transmitting a copy of a certificate certifying the authenticity of the mobile communications device to the service provider in response to the request, the certificate being stored in memory on the mobile communications device and including device-specific data, a unique identifier for the mobile communications device, information of a carrier on which the mobile communications device is authorized to operate and a digital signature of an authority having control of the authenticity of the mobile communications device; and the mobile communications device receiving a response from the service provider including an indication that the certificate and carrier are valid.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein receiving the request comprises receiving a challenge from the service provider.
 12. A server configured to authenticate mobile communication devices attempting to access services of a service provider, the server comprising: a receiver for receiving a copy of a certificate stored on a mobile communications device attempting to access a service of the service provider, the certificate certifying the authenticity of the mobile communications device and including device-specific data, a unique identifier for the mobile communications device, information of a carrier on which the mobile communications device is authorized to operate and a digital signature of an authority having control of the authenticity of the mobile communications device; a transmitter; a processor; and a memory storing computer readable instructions that, when executed, configure the processor to: determine that the digital signature on the certificate is authentic, in response to receiving the certificate, and the carrier is valid; and cause the transmitter to transmit an indication that the digital signature is authentic and the carrier is valid to a sender of the copy.
 13. The server of claim 12, wherein the memory comprises a public key corresponding to a private key used to generate the digital signature and the processor is configured to use the public key to determine if the digital signature is authentic.
 14. The server of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the transmitter to transmit an indication that the mobile communications device is not authentic if the digital signature or carrier is determined to be invalid.
 15. The server of claim 12, comprising a database of information related to a list of mobile communications devices, the information comprising an indication of whether or not each mobile communications device listed is authorized to access a respective service.
 16. The server of claim 12, wherein the receiver receives the copy of the certificate from a network element of the service provider and the processor causes the transmitter to transmit the indication that the mobile communications device is authentic to the network element.
 17. The server of claim 12, wherein the copy of certificate is received from the mobile communications device.
 18. The server of claim 12, wherein the server comprises at least one of a content server, applications server or a messaging server.
 19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing computer-executable instructions that, when performed by a processor in a mobile communications device, cause said processor to: receive a request to authenticate the mobile communications device with a service provider; transmit a copy of a certificate certifying the authenticity of the mobile communications device to the service provider in response to the request, the certificate being stored in memory on the mobile communications device and including device-specific data, a unique identifier for the mobile communications device, information of a carrier on which the mobile communications device is authorized to operate and a digital signature of an authority having control of the authenticity of the mobile communications device; and receive a response from the service provider including an indication that the certificate and carrier are valid.
 20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause said processor to receive the request by receiving a challenge from the service provider. 